All Hail the (Baby) King!

Having children makes me one of today's radicals. At least I can count among my fellow “radicals” a future king and queen.

Mazel Tov! After much anticipation, at 4:24pm in London on July 22, the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth. The Royal bundle is an 8lbs. 6oz. son, future King – and perhaps a real Jewish Prince.

Mazal tov to the future King and Queen on their new (perhaps) Jewish Prince.

For those of you who haven’t heard, according to lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Kate’s mother, Carol, is the daughter of Ronald and Dorothy Goldsmith (whose parents, he claims, were also Jews). The Jewish line may thicken with hubby Wills. It’s been speculated the late Princess Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd, was born a Rothschild. If that weren’t enough, the London Daily Mail reported that Diana is actually the biological daughter of Sir James Goldschmidt, also a Jew.

Royal ancestry-mavens consider all this hearsay, but between the two of them, chances are some Jewish runs through the bluish.

In fact, the new heir was born in a “Jewish” wing of St. Mary’s hospital. Sephardic Jew, Frank Charles Lindo paid for the wing in 1937! He must be shepping some naches!

From the day it was announced that the royal couple was expecting, reporters, photographers, and people on the street went wild! How ironic, I thought. In an atmosphere of zero or low population growth, where having more than 1.5 (I’m not a statistician) children are often met with frowns from those who count carbon footprints, this arrival should be met with a fervor rivaling the coming of the Messiah.

True, this particular arrival will insure the family business continues for at least the next few generations and according to Jewish Law this is critical. In Jewish tradition we have tremendous respect for government and authority. In the Talmud, Rabbi Chanina teaches: "Pray for the security of the government, for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive." As a child growing up in England I can still recall special blessings for the royal family, for to have the utmost respect for royalty allows one to recognize the ultimate Kingship in this world.

And the people are feeling it. One man who waited outside St. Mary’s hospital for 12 days, said: “We’ve got a lovely married couple and baby will make three – and they will be a family.”

King Solomon, who was called "the wisest of all men" for a reason, used the analogy of a threefold cord: "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." He reminds us that a one-strand cord is weak by itself, a two-strand cord is stronger, and a three-strand rope is stronger than either. Children, create a threefold cord.

Ever since Kate, who stems from the tiny village of Bucklebury, became the new fairy tale Duchess, she’s become the “IT” girl of the century, and she’s a “hit.” Modern, educated, and hands-on, everything about her becomes “trendy.” So, let’s watch the birth rate!

True, unlike most newlyweds today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge don’t have to worry finances, debts, child care, or university, the new baby (and God-willing many future ones) has sent a greater message than “Heir and (hopefully) Spares.”

The national and international mood is soaring at this mind-blowing “event” and I can hope that the royal imprimatur will make having children a “hit” once again. In the twenty-first century, parents have become the new counterculture. Strangely, having children makes me one of today's radicals. At least I can count among my fellow “radicals” a future king and queen.

Hopefully the king and queen’s new child will help us all realize that as a society, we should value every child like he or she is the next king or queen.

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About the Author

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein is a rabbi and best-selling author who was voted New York’s Hippest Rabbi by PBS Channel 13. He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at Pratt Institute and resides in Brooklyn, New York.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 1

(1)
Frances Makarova,
July 29, 2013 4:31 PM

That is a great summary of the facts.

I heard about Kate's Jewish ancestry when they got engaged, it was all over the British papers back then and certainly it does not seem to have attracted negative anti Semitic media comment, which is a plus. I am so happy for both Kate and Wills and their new young Jewish heir to the throne.

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My Christian friends are always speaking about “faith.” To me this sounds a lot like blind faith. Is that really the essence of religion?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I'm afraid that this is another case of a Christian concept being mis-associated with Judaism.

Let's first define our terms. What is faith?

Webster defines faith as "Belief without proof."

What is knowledge? "An acquaintance with truth, facts or principles through study or investigation."

Faith is usually a product of desire. Have you ever gotten a tip on the market that guarantees you're going to triple your money in a month? A lot of smart people have gotten fleeced because they ignored the evidence and went with their feelings.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is based on evidence. We know there's a place called China because we have too many products in our house saying "made in China." There's a lot of evidence for the existence of China, even though most of us have never been there.

Judaism unequivocally comes down on the side of knowledge, not faith. In Deuteronomy 4:39, the Torah says: "You shall know this day, and understand it well in your heart, that the Almighty is God; in the heaven above and the earth below, there is none other." (This verse is also contained in the prayer, "Aleynu.")

This verse tells us that it is not enough to simply know in your head, intellectually, that God is the Controller of everything. You must know it in your heart! This knowledge is much more profound than an intellectual knowledge. God gave us a brain because he wants us to think rationally about the world, our role in it, and our relationship with God.

A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no place in Judaism. The Hebrew word "emunah," which is often translated as faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It describes a conviction that is based on evidence.

Once this knowledge is internalized, it effects how a person lives. A person with this knowledge could transform every breathing moment into a mitzvah, for he would do everything for the sake of the heaven. But this is not a "knowledge," that comes easily. Only intensive Torah learning and doing mitzvahs can achieve this knowledge. Every word of Torah we learn moves us just a little bit closer to that goal. And everyone is capable of that.

To learn more, read "The Knowing Heart," by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Feldheim.com). This entire book is an explanation of this verse!

In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son of Esther. The Second Temple lacked much of the glory of the First Temple: There was no Ark of the Covenant, and the daily miracles and prophets were no longer part of the scenery. The Second Temple would stand for 420 years, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

You shall know this day and consider it within your heart(Deuteronomy 4:39).

Business people who are involved in many transactions employ accountants to analyze their operations and to determine whether or not they are profitable. They may also seek the help of experts to determine which products are making money and which are losing. Such studies allow them to maximize their profits and minimize their losses. Without such data, they might be doing a great deal of business, but discover at the end of the year that their expenditures exceeded their earnings.

Sensible people give at least as much thought to the quality and achievement of their lives as they do to their businesses. Each asks himself, "Where am I going with my life? What am I doing that is of value? In what ways am I gaining and improving? And which practices should I increase, and which should I eliminate?"

Few people make such reckonings. Many of those that do, do so on their own, without consulting an expert's opinion. These same people would not think of being their own business analysts and accountants, and they readily pay large sums of money to engage highly qualified experts in these fields.

Jewish ethical works urge us to regularly undergo cheshbon hanefesh, a personal accounting. We would be foolish to approach this accounting of our very lives with any less seriousness than we do our business affairs. We should seek out the "spiritual C.P.A.s," those who have expertise in spiritual guidance, to help us in our analyses.

Today I shall...

look for competent guidance in doing a personal moral inventory and in planning my future.

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